Moynihan Station contract awarded, construction to begin this summer

The Moynihan Station Development Corporation Board and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey awarded a construction contract to to transform the historic Farley Post Office Building in Manhattan into Moynihan Station.

The major public-works project, a lifelong vision of the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, will alleviate congestion at Penn Station New York, North America's busiest train station, located just across the street from the post office building.

The Moynihan Station Development Corporation's board approved the award of the $147.7 million contract to Skanska USA Civil Northeast. In October 2011, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the corporation's operations will be consolidated into the Port Authority. The Port Authority will oversee the project, with construction management support from STA Moynihan JV, a joint venture of AECOM, STV and Tishman Construction.

The first part of construction will double the width of the existing West End Concourse of Penn Station, which will be the concourse for the new train station, to serve eight additional tracks to be used by Amtrak, NJ Transit and Long Island Rail Road passengers. It also will provide new vertical circulation, including elevators, escalators and stairs to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The project will include fire safety improvements to Penn Station, including new standpipes and a command center for the New York City Fire Department.

In addition, the first phase of the project will provide new access through entrances in the Farley building at 31st and 33rd streets and Eighth Avenue to the West End Concourse, allowing the public to access the train platforms through that building for the first time.

The total cost of Phase 1 is $267 million. Funding will be provided through an $83 million federal TIGER grant, $29.5 million from the MTA, $10 million from the Port Authority and the remaining funds from federal grants and appropriations.

Construction will begin this summer. The project will generate more than 3,000 jobs and is expected to take four years to complete.